Cutter for tube-cleaners and other purposes



W. S. ELLIOTT.

CUTTER FOR TUBE CLEANERS AND OTHER PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV= 22, I918.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

WITNESSES WM," fi. a.

. UNITED STATES' WILLIAM S. ELLIOTT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CUTTER FOR TUBE-CLEANERS AND OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

Application filed November 22, 1918. Serial No. 263,685.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cutters for Tube-Cleaners and other Purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, formin part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tube cleaningtool having cutters embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of one of the cutters shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 an end view of another-form of cutter.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view showing one way of making the cutters in sections.

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, but ShOWlIlg another modification.

Figs. 8 and 9 are views also similar to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, showing still another modification.

Figs. 10 and 11 are similar views showlng still another modification.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another form of cutter.

Figs. 13 and 14, respectively, are a side elevation and end view of still another form.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in cutters, and more particularly cutters for tube cleaners, such as are used for removing the scale from the interiors of boiler tubes, although capable of use for various other purposes. well known in the art, these cutters are carried by a suitable head which is attached to a motor whereby the head is rapidly rotated within the tube, the cutters being also preferably free to rotate each on its own axis. Usually, in the preferred forms of tools of this class, the carriers upon which the cutters are mounted are free to swing outwardly on their centrifugal force of rotation whereby the cutters are caused to exert a hammering action upon the scale. One objection which has been found to the use of the cutters heretofore generally employed is that they tend to track; that is to say, the cutters tend to form complementary teeth in the surface of the scale with which they cog. This seriously interferes with eflicient cutting action and impairs the efliciency of the tool.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a cutter in which the tendency to track or cog 1s effectively overcome, owing to a pcculiar arrangement of the teeth of the cut;

. ters.

My invention is susceptible to various em bodiments, some of which I have shown in the accompanying drawing and will now describe.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a form of cutter head 2 having pivoted thereto a plurality of longitudinally extending cutter carrying arms 3 each of which is equipped with a cone cutter 4. These arms are shown as being of diiferent lengths so that some of the cutters will act in different circular planes than the others. Each cutter shown in this figure is of frusto-conical form, and consists of four toothed sections of progressively different diameters. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each one of these cutters has the teeth of all of its sections upon one-half of its circumference of a different pitch from those on the other half of its circumference. That is to say, referring to Fig. 2, the teeth 5 on the upper half of the cutter are moreclosely spaced than are the corresponding teeth upon the lower half of the cutter; and the teeth upon the two smaller sections are in staggered relation to the teeth upon the two larger sections.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the teeth upon the upper portion of the two smaller sections car. are of closer spacing, of

less pitch, than the teeth upon the lower half of said sections, while the teeth upon the upper half of the two larger sections bb are of greater spacing, or greater pitch, than the teeth upon the lower half of said sections 126.

In the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, all four sections have the teeth 6 upon the same half of their circumference of one pitch and those upon the other half of a different pitch. In the arrangement shown in the drawing, the teeth of less pitch are on the upper portion of the figures, while those of greater pitch are on the lower portion. This form differs from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as will be observed, in that the teeth of two sections are not staggered with respect to the teeth of the other two sections.

In the form shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the teeth on the two smaller sections 00 are staggered with respect to the teeth on the two larger sections dd, while all the teeth on each pair of sections are of the same pitch, and there are the same number of teeth on each section. I

The form shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is similar to that shown in Figs. 8 and 9, except that the teeth on the two smaller sections ee are fewer in number than those on the two larger section 7.

Fig. 12 shows a form of cutting tool in Which the teeth are longitudinally continubus, the teeth 7 upon one-half of the cirpieces such as shown at 10 in Fig. 5, with their adjacent faces formed with clutch pro- 'ections and recesses 11 whereby they may e held] from turning relatively to leach other.

It will also be understood that while I have shown the sectional form of cutters as formed in four sections. cutters may be made with any desired number of sections.

In the use of cutters such as above described, it will be readily apparent that tracking or cogging of cutters in the scale is effectively prevented by reason of the fact that the teeth on one portion of each cutter are arranged differently with respect to those upon another portion of the same cutter. The cutting actions of the two portions is necessarily of such a different character that the action of one portion tends to obliterate the tracks or cuts formed by the action of the other portion. The result is to greatly increase the effectiveness of the tool.

It will be understood that cutters embodying my invention may be used for ter for the purposes described, said cutter" comprising a frusto-conical body having peripheral teeth extending longitudinally thereof, some of said teeth being staggered with respect to others thereof and said body being composed of a plurality of separate endwise abutted sections having interlocking engagement with each other, whereby the sections are maintained in fixed relation to rotate as a unit about a common axis, substantially as described. 7

2. As a new article of manufacture, a cutter for the purposes described, said cutter comprising a frusto-conical body having peripheral teeth extending longitudinally thereof, some of said teeth being of different pitch from the others and said body being composed of a plurality of separate endwise abutted Sections having interlocking engagement with each other, whereby the sections are maintained in fixed relation to each other to rotate as a unit about the longitudinal axis of the body, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM S. ELLIOTT. 

